Two of Apple’s strongest rivals, Google and Samsung, have inked a decade-long, global cross-licensing agreement that grants each company access to the other’s intellectual property troves. The deal includes both existing patents and new patents filed over the next 10 years, according to a recently issued pressure release. It appears that the agreement extends beyond patents centered on the mobile devices business or Google’s Android operating system, instead covering a “broad range of technologies and business areas.”

According to the statement, both Samsung and Google:

…gain access to each other’s industry-leading patent portfolios, paving the way for deeper collaboration on research and development of current and future products and technologies.

Both companies participate in a diverse array of markets with Samsung also being one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers while Google has expanded beyond its search engine roots with interests in fields like biomedical sensors and robotics.

Google’s deputy general counsel for patents, Allen Lo, stated the company is:

…pleased to enter into a cross-license with our partner Samsung. By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation.

Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent dispute.

The recent announcement comes as both companies are engaged in multiple worldwide legal battles with apple, though the ongoing issues may be on the verge of winding down. Google’s Motorola unit has suffered from multiple losses in litigation against Apple, while both Apple and Samsung are reportedly close to reaching a patent accord of their own in advance of a new trial that is set to begin later in the spring. We will have to wait and see what happens.